Plot Driven Lifehttps://www.plotdrivenlife.com
Experiences inspired by booksTue, 16 Jan 2018 12:00:55 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.4https://www.plotdrivenlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/cropped-vintage-2168174_1280-1-32x32.jpgPlot Driven Lifehttps://www.plotdrivenlife.com
3232Countdown to My Deathhttps://www.plotdrivenlife.com/2018/01/16/countdowntomydeath/
https://www.plotdrivenlife.com/2018/01/16/countdowntomydeath/#commentsTue, 16 Jan 2018 12:00:55 +0000https://www.plotdrivenlife.com/?p=362Read More Countdown to My Death]]>If the title of this week’s blog post made you think I’m dying, don’t worry. I’m completely healthy. But this week’s book certainly has me thinking about how I’ll use the rest of my time on Earth, especially after experiencing the death calculator!

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past couple of years, you know about the charming and business-savvy couple, Chip and Joanna Gaines, stars of HGTV’s hit show Fixer Upper. For any of you under-rock dwellers, Chip and Jo are residents of Waco, Texas where they transform dilapidated houses using Chip’s goofy humor and Joanna’s shiplap-loving, rustic style. They just revealed that the fifth season of their television show will be their last (at least for a while), so that they can focus on their family and other business ventures. And earlier this month, they revealed they are pregnant with their fifth child, and I’m pretty sure it rained kittens and unicorns on the internet as a result of this news! Chip and Jo are beloved, and their sweetness with each other, their genuine personalities and desire to lift up others make them just a delight to follow on tv and social media and through their magazine, Magnolia Journal.

Can you tell I’m a fan of theirs? Even as a fan, I have to be honest that I wasn’t very interested in reading Chip’s recently published book, Captial Gaines: Smart Things I Learned While Doing Stupid Stuff.

In his book, Chip explains how he fought to use this unusual picture for the cover art.

While I love watching Chip’s shenanigans on Fixer Upper, I believed that his goofy, rarely serious style wouldn’t translate to a book that I would enjoy or learn much from, so I passed it up. . . until I had a six hour road trip with my friend Jamie’s mom, Lynne, who I knew was a fellow Fixer Upper fan. Chip’s book was the ideal length for our trip, and it was one more book to help me achieve my 2017 Goodreads Challenge goal of 80 books. More on this goal in upcoming post.

Lynne and me ready to road-trip and listen to some Chip Gaines!

So, we listened to it, and this is what I thought:

Woah. Unexpectedly, the overall message of this little book left me fired up to do more good in the world. Chip narrates his autobiography and reveals how his unfailingly positive, seemingly no-fear attitude has served him well throughout his life. He details his start as an entrepreneur of three businesses and how his terrible money-management skills nearly cost him both his businesses and his new relationship with Joanna.

Chip has a refreshing take on life, and it’s clear to me after reading this book that he has a strong faith and truly finds joy in EVERY experience– even when he flipped a four-wheeler as a brand new dad and ended up in the hospital. Chip uses this book to encourage others to live in the moment just like he does and tells his story with his trademark sense of humor. The audiobook even includes testimonials from some of Chip’s employees who tell all about Chip’s quirky and unconventional leadership style. A feel-good read that exceeded my expectations. For more than just fans of Fixer Upper.

This book would serve as an excellent choice for a reluctant reader or a student with business interests. My husband is a high school marketing teacher, and I bought a copy for him to add to his classroom collection.

Countdown to My Death

This is the first nonfiction title I’ve reviewed for my blog, and it lent itself very well to a #plotdrivenlife experience. Chip actually encourages readers to take these particular inspired actions.

First of all, I checked out how much longer the death calculator suggests I might live, and THAT was an eerie experience, let me tell you! On this website, you input some basic information about yourself (height, weight, BMI, etc.) and the death calculator not only computes your age of death, but it picks the exact date you’re going to croak, pastes it on an image of a tombstone and then starts a countdown clock to your death! I was highly peeved that I am only calculated to live to age 82. My mom’s parents lived into their nineties, so I’ll feel robbed of at least eight years if the death calculator is accurate and I’m supposed to kick the bucket on April 10, 2066. Eek! So weird!

Suddenly, I’m stressed!

Chip’s suggestion that we check out the death calculator serves a reminder that our time here is temporary, and he wants us to make the best of it. His other suggestion, one that I completely embraced, is to write your own obituary. Again, this is definitely a morbid recommendation, but I love Chip’s mindset that we can create the lives we want through the power of positive thinking and hard work. By writing our own obits, we are telling the Powers That Be what we expect out of life. This action not only holds us accountable for the lives we want to live, but also it communicates to the big, wide universe that it better get behind our big, fat goals, darn it! So, here’s my obit with a snub to the death calendar:

KELLY OLIVA (December 20, 1982 to June 6, 2083)

Kelly Oliva passed away peacefully at her beach home in Key West, Florida this past week, surrounded by a brood of loving family, friends and pets. Born in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, Kelly moved to Missouri to attend Lindenwood University on a field hockey scholarship. She met her husband, Mike, during her first year as an English teacher, and the couple celebrated 60 years of marriage and shared many wonderful adventures together before Mike passed away at 99 years old.

Kelly was an acclaimed writer and speaker who traveled the world, often by RV with Mike and their pets, educating people of all ages about the joy of reading and encouraging them to lead purposeful, fulfilling lives by stepping outside of their comfort zones. Kelly was a passionate advocate for pet adoption, using her wealth and notoriety to benefit no-kill animal shelters across North America. As a result, she was recognized by Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, for her goodwill. She was also interviewed by Oprah Winfrey who became her mentor and friend.

Kelly loved to perform random acts of kindness in the places she visited, sometimes paying the cost of all gifts on layaway at Walmart before Christmas, stocking a school library in need with new books, or offering to cover the adoption fee for all animals at a local shelter. Kelly inspired others to follow her example, and her non-profit “Kindness Looks Good on You” will continue her work after her passing.

Ever proud of her Canadian heritage, Kelly will be buried in her hometown of Kelowna, BC. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to Kindness Looks Good on You or your local no-kill animal shelter.

If you’re laughing hysterically at my old-age picture, you’re welcome. You, too, can age yourself with AgingBooth, a free iOs app. If you’re interested in motivating yourself by writing your own obituary or you’re a teacher who wants his/her students to write their own obituaries, you might want to consider using a free newspaper generator like this one which adds some authenticity to the experience.

Happy holidays, everybody! My gift to you this week is a recommendation to read one of the best books I read in 2017: The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee. Historical fiction doesn’t get any better than this, and I highly recommend the audio version for added entertainment.

Seventeen year-old Henry “Monty” Montague could have any lady of his choosing. He has the looks, charm, money and family name to woo any girl in 1700’s England, but Monty has eyes only for his male best friend Percy. Monty isn’t sure if Percy feels the same way, but they’ll have the whole year on tour of Europe together to sort it out before Monty becomes his father’s apprentice and Percy heads to law school.

Their tour, of course, doesn’t go as planned. Monty’s hateful father assigns Monty, Percy and Monty’s sister Felicity a “handler” who forces them to partake in educational experiences and forbids the boys from their favorite nighttime activities: drinking, gambling and romancing. Thinking the situation can’t get worse, the group is nearly scared to death when their coach is attacked on a rural road in France, and Monty, Percy and Felicity become separated from their staff and must wander the country penniless and with only the clothes on their backs. Monty quickly realizes their attackers are after a puzzle box he stole from an enemy he made at Versailles, and the contents of the box must be very valuable indeed.

The trio’s quest to open the box and access its treasure takes them to a spooky house in Spain, on a pirate ship and to a sinking island in Italy. There is plenty of action, intrigue and humor in every chapter, and it’s impossible to predict what trouble Monty will get into next. This wild adventure tests Monty and Percy’s love for one another and the sacrifices they are willing to make to be together.

Puzzle Mania

As I read this book, I was fascinated by the concept of the Baseggio Box and its Lazarus Key which are central to the story’s action. I’d heard about puzzle boxes in the past, but I’d never come across one myself. Through a little Google searching, I located a retailer called The Puzzle Warehouse in St. Louis. It is the self-proclaimed, “Largest jigsaw puzzle store in the USA!” I grabbed my puzzle-loving pal Ali Jean, and we headed to the store, a legit warehouse FULL of every kind of puzzle you can imagine, including puzzle boxes.

Let me back up for a second because when Ali Jean and I arrived at The Puzzle Warehouse, we laughed at the signs in the parking lot which limited shoppers to two hour parking. Who could spend TWO HOURS in a puzzle store, we scoffed. You know who? Us two. We had the time of our lives in there, and we ended up with a shopping cart packed with puzzles. If you are a friend of family member of ours, there’s a pretty solid chance you got a puzzle for Christmas. You’re welcome!

Yup, we’re full fledged puzzle lovers.Check out our cart. We may have gone a bit overboard.

Anyway, The Puzzle Warehouse has an awesome variety of wooden puzzle boxes. I didn’t end up buying any of these, but seeing them up close gave me a better idea of what the Baseggio Box must have looked like. I’m thinking a DIY puzzle box might be fun to add to a Breakout Box game at school.

This puzzle might be smarter than me. . .This one seems like something you’d find at Cracker Barrel. No?

Ali and I spent the rest of our time browsing the endless aisles of puzzles where we found everything from 3D puzzles to puzzles with googly eyes and 40,000+ piece puzzles! Now you know how we spent two hours there. . .

Why must I have this?This baby has 40,320 pieces! You will spend a small fortune on it, and you’ll be old and grey when you finish.They have everything!

As a Christmas gift, I bought my dad a 4D puzzle of Budapest since Mike and I had the amazing opportunity to travel there with him and my mom this summer. A 4D puzzle, folks! Mind blown!

That’s my dad on Christmas morning!Serious puzzling happening here.

I can’t wait for the sequel/companion of The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue to drop. Narrated by Monty’s sister, Felicity, it’s called The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy. Look for it in October 2018.

I love a good romance, and I took the recommendation of Emily Hall, owner of a local indie bookshop called Main Street books, when I picked up this week’s book: When Dimple Met Rishi.

Dimple Shah yearns to make a name for herself as a computer coder. As an eighteen year old Indian, however, Dimple’s parents have a very different plan for her future. Her mother seems desperate to see her only daughter immediately married and pregnant so she can gossip about her grandchildren with friends. While the Shahs agreed to let Dimple go to Stanford to major in coding, they consider it the perfect place for Dimple to shop for a husband. As a result, Dimple is agog when her parents actually agree to let her attend an elite coding camp called Insomnia Con at San Francisco State University during the summer before she starts at Stanford. Little does Dimple know, her parents have already been husband shopping for her.

Rishi Patel prides himself on being the good son. In his Indian household, he respects his parents and values their wisdom. When they choose Dimple Shah as a possible marriage match for him, he’s excited and eager to please his parents. When Rishi meets Dimple at Insomnia Con, he assumes she’s eager to get to know him, too, but their first interaction ends quickly with Dimple throwing a coffee at Rishi. Oops.

Dimple and Rishi are forced to team up to submit an app concept for Insomnia Con, and as the couple gets to know each other, sparks definitely fly. But Dimple begins to question whether she has room in her life for a successful career AND a relationship with Rishi, especially since he’s so content to please his parents. Rishi’s talents as an artist are obvious. Why, then, would he choose to study engineering?

Overall, a top-notch book with fresh, diverse characters. I loved learning about Indian food, culture and customs as I read this book. Dimple and Rishi are both relatable and have a love story that will make anyone say, “Awwwwwww!”

Will Roadtrip for Books

I considered several possible #plotdrivenlife experiences for this book including taking a self-paced coding class and throwing a coffee on someone (just kidding!). I decided to search for a bookstore-restaurant like Two Sisters Bar and Restaurant, the setting of Dimple and Rishi’s “non-date.” I loved this scene in the book because there is palpable chemistry between the characters, but they are still trying to figure out each other. Rishi, being the sweetie he is, arranges to have several sentimental books placed on their reserved table for Dimple to peruse. Swoon!

So, I figured it wouldn’t be hard to find several local restaurant-bookstores to choose from. Not true. In fact, I couldn’t even find any non-chain coffeeshop-bookstores near me! Since I was taking a road trip to Cincinnati to celebrate my friend Jaime’s birthday, I decided to move my search for a restaurant-bookstore to her neck of the woods. With her help, we found Roebling Point Books and Coffee in Newport, Kentucky. It is a magical place. While it’s not a restaurant, shoppers can enjoy coffee and treats while browsing an eclectic, cozy bookshop. It’s truly one of a kind, and I could happily live there! From the inscription on the fireplace to the chalkboard art on the exterior walls and the recycled church pews in the community room, If I lived closer, I’d hang out at this place all the time.

I love this picture of Jaime trying to decide which book to buy.One of Roebling Point’s inviting spaces. Couldn’t you just move right in?

Jaime, her mom and I did stop by another bookstore with a connected restaurant called Joseph-Beth Booksellers. While this is a chain bookstore, it is one of my favorite places to visit in Cincinnati, and its attached Bronte Bistro doesn’t suck. I think it’s frowned upon to bring unpaid merchandise into the bistro, but you can enjoy delicious food while gazing longingly into the bookstore, so I won’t complain. It’s the next best thing to Two Sisters.

Do you know of any restaurant-bookstores I should know about? I’m always game for a roadtrip!

Happy reading,
~Kelly

]]>https://www.plotdrivenlife.com/2017/12/12/willroadtripforbooks/feed/0This Blog Goes to the Dogshttps://www.plotdrivenlife.com/2017/10/31/blogtothedogs/
https://www.plotdrivenlife.com/2017/10/31/blogtothedogs/#commentsTue, 31 Oct 2017 11:30:22 +0000https://www.plotdrivenlife.com/?p=303Read More This Blog Goes to the Dogs]]>The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis

If you’re looking for a spooky book to read this Halloween, may I suggest The Female of the Species? Author Mindy McGinnis is also responsible for one of my favorite 2017-18 Gateway nominees called A Madness So Discreet; the girl knows how to write an edge-of-your-seat thriller. The Female of the Species is super dark and uncomfortable to read at times, but so worth suffering through the nightmares it will give you. I am thrilled that Mindy will be visiting my school in December to speak to our students!

Alex Craft’s older sister Anna was raped, murdered and dismembered by a local pedophile, and when the the police didn’t have enough evidence to convict him, Alex, a freshman at the time, took matters into her own hands. She carefully and meticulously planned her revenge, and now a senior, Alex has yet to be connected to his death. Alex is a loner, aware that she inherited her father’s viciousness and “feels too much.”

P.K. or “Preacher’s Kid” is in a post-break-up funk. Her longtime boyfriend ditched her for the opportunity to date the hottest girl in school, and P.K. regrets sharing so much of herself with him. She’s a shell when she meets Alex at the local animal shelter where both girls are serving volunteer hours. Though polar opposites, P.K. and Alex develop a bond over the animals they care for.

Jack Fisher is the guy everyone wants to be. Athletic, good-looking, funny and smooth, Jack can have any girl he wants. Jack is inexplicably drawn to Alex, however, different from anyone he’s ever dated. While Jack and Alex’s attraction is mutual and strong, Jack begins to question the depth of Alex’s dark side after she disfigures a man at a party for attempting to take advantage of P.K.

There is plenty of offensive language, violence and discussion of sex in this book, so take note if this will offend you. As I mentioned, this is the second of Mindy McGinnis’ books that I’ve read, and she’s quickly becoming a favorite author. If you don’t mind creepy, this book is a stand out.

This Blog Goes to the Dogs

I mentioned in my first post that I want this blog to serve as a way to lift up people, so there will be no dismembering, body burning or other such grotesque #plotdrivenlife experiences. Wouldn’t that make a fantastic headline? STRANGER THAN FICTION: SCHOOL LIBRARIAN KILLS FOR BETTER BLOG RATINGS. Nope. I do have a super outrageous activity I would be willing to perform for a #plotdrivenlife experience, but it doesn’t involve hurting anyone. Stay tuned! In the meantime, I will keep to doing good in the world, thank-you.

After reading about Alex and P.K.’s love and care for animals at their local animal shelter in Female of the Species, I didn’t hesitate to carry out a #plotdrivenlife experience that benefited two shelters near and dear to my heart. As you may know from my post about my Goodbye Days experience for my recently deceased dog Ben, both Ben and my fifteen year-old Beagle-Chihuahua, Rudy, came from a no-kill animal shelter called Furry Kids Refuge near Lee’s Summit, MO. This shelter is run by a tireless woman named Carla Wing whose love for animals knows no bounds. Carla is like Alex in that they are drawn to the innate good in the spirits of the animals they serve.

My heart: Rudolphus J. Pickles, aka “Rudy”

As I was reading a recent issue of the Furry Kids’ newsletter, I noticed an article about an app called Walk for a Dog. A free download, Walk for a Dog allows you to donate to a chosen shelter simply by walking your dog. In the app, you set an animal shelter you’d like to support, identify a pet you walk (or choose an animal in need) and track the time and distance of any walks you take. I applaud this concept since it allows app users to donate to a shelter while taking part in a healthy activity for both human and pet. This is something everyone could do so easily even once a week. I am choosing to support Furry Kids’ Refuge through the app, and I’ll continue to use the app every time I walk Rudy.

The other shelter I chose to support is Five Acres Animal Shelter in St. Charles, MO. I used to volunteer as a dog-walker at this shelter, and several months ago, I noticed they were hosting a virtual 5K race– complete with a medal– as a fundraiser. My friends Lauren and Jackie and I jumped at the chance to challenge ourselves for the good of potential pets! We gathered together on a rainy, cold Sunday at our local Club Fitness and went to work, each running our 3.1 miles at her own pace. It wasn’t pretty, but we lived to tell about it.

Jackie, Me and Lauren sportin’ our 5K medals!

In the name of Alex Craft, I challenge you to help a rescue animal this month. Consider downloading and using the Walk for a Dog app, shopping at Amazon Smile (which benefits a charity of your choice), donating requested items to a shelter, visiting a cat cafe or even picking out your new pet from a shelter vs. a pet store. It’s good Karma.

Here’s a Halloween treat for you: I’ll post again next week!

Thanks for reading,
~Kelly

]]>https://www.plotdrivenlife.com/2017/10/31/blogtothedogs/feed/2Get in My Belly!https://www.plotdrivenlife.com/2017/10/24/get-in-my-belly/
https://www.plotdrivenlife.com/2017/10/24/get-in-my-belly/#respondTue, 24 Oct 2017 11:00:58 +0000https://www.plotdrivenlife.com/?p=285Read More Get in My Belly!]]>It’s been a while since I lasted posted, but I hope to have several posts for you over the next few weeks!

North of Happy by Adi Alsaid

We are fast approaching the season of food. Thanksgiving is a month away, and if you celebrate Christmas like I do, you might already be searching for some trendy elastic waistband pants to get you through the season! In fact, a teacher friend of mine told me recently that she keeps a pair of maternity pants on hand for food holidays. Genius! This week’s blog post celebrates food, and I promise you can savor it without needing to change your pants.

DO NOT read this book on an empty stomach. Author Adi Alsaid writes tantalizing descriptions of food–from tacos to seafood, omelettes, sauces and sandwiches. This book will have you drooling!

Carlos knows it’s not healthy that he sees his dead brother’s ghost, and it’s definitely not healthy that he holds conversations with cet ghost. The trauma of losing Felix in a random shooting has deeply scarred Carlos, and the fact that their father wants Carlos to “forget about the past” makes it even worse. In response to his father’s insensitivity, Carlos makes a life changing last-minute decision. While watching a cooking show, he decides he’ll go to the featured restaurant–Provecho–located on an island in Washington state, thousands of miles away from his home in Mexico City.

While Carlos continues to see Felix’s ghost on the island, he finds his place at the restaurant, taking on a job as a dishwasher and falling for the head chef’s daughter, Emma. Carlos desperately wants the chance to feature his own recipes on the menu, and he suffers through hellish cooking lessons from the notoriously short-tempered “Chef” for the chance to improve his skills. It’s Chef’s ultimatum that he can’t stand; she makes it clear that he can’t date Emma if he wants to continue working at the restaurant. Carlos feels he has sacrificed enough, though, and wants both the chance to learn from Chef and enjoy Emma–even though ghost Felix thinks it’s a bad idea.

This is a book about grief, forgiveness and perseverance; it’s a stellar reminder that we should all do what we love and eat fabulous food along the way!

The audio is great, by the way.

Channeling My Inner Carlos

During the last three Thursday evenings in October, I have had an absolute blast attending a Basics of Cooking class with my friend Ali Jean. Now, if you’ve read any of my previous posts that relate to food, you know that I love to eat it, but I am really terrible at cooking. I lack the patience, the skills and the palate to make truly great food, so when Ali suggested we take a newbie cooking class together at the Kitchen Conservatory in St. Louis, I thought I could at least improve my skills and write about the connection to North of Happy. I did not expect the experience to be such a highlight of my week!

My dear friend, Ali Jean, expert Fish Seasoner!

Our class was taught by Barb Nack, a no-nonsense teacher whom I liked immediately. At our first session, Barb provided each of us with a folder with the recipes we’d make that evening as well as some helpful cooking terminology. We had a chance to practice our knife-cutting skills before we dove into making a feast! In teams under Barb’s watchful eye, we made vegetable soup, garlic compound butter, pasta primavera, pasta soup, and beef and chicken stir-fry with rice. We learned how and when to use salt, why olive oil beats EVOO and why chopped veggies should all be the same size. I left the class stupidly full and happy. I’d cooked several dishes I was confident I could make at home without Barb’s guidance. Success!

The second and third weeks of class proved to be even more tasty. During the second class, we collaborated to prepare an entire roast beef dinner complete with the best chocolate ganache cake I have ever had in my life. I ended up buying an in-oven thermometer after that class and used it to cook a pork roast to perfection in my own oven. During our third class, the highlights were the fried tilapia, homemade mac & cheese and chocolate mousse. So. Dang. Good. I have one more class to make up in January, but I’m flush with recipes to try on my Canadian family coming to visit in November. Hooray!

Chicken with vegetables and pan sauce.Chocolate mousse.

While I didn’t exactly feel Carlos’ deep passion for cooking during my Kitchen Conservatory experience, the class was the most fun I’ve ever had in a kitchen. I looked forward each week to the opportunity to share the hectic, crowded space with ten or so other classmates, all working together to prepare a meal of which we could be proud! And who doesn’t love the chance to eat their hard work?

Me, Barb and Ali, all smiles in the kitchen!

Thanks for reading, and I promise to post next week!
~Kelly

]]>https://www.plotdrivenlife.com/2017/10/24/get-in-my-belly/feed/0Balloons, Bonbons & Baconhttps://www.plotdrivenlife.com/2017/09/29/balloonsbonbonsbacon/
https://www.plotdrivenlife.com/2017/09/29/balloonsbonbonsbacon/#commentsFri, 29 Sep 2017 11:00:01 +0000https://www.plotdrivenlife.com/?p=265Read More Balloons, Bonbons & Bacon]]>I love it when other people share their own #plotdrivenlife experiences, and one of my favorite fellow librarians, Shannon Grieshaber, recently shared one with me in her own recent blog post. In my opinion, the coolest part about planning a #plotdrivenlife experience is that even if two people read the same book, no two experiences are the same! This is the case with When Dimple Met Rishi, the book Shannon blogged about. My experience will be totally different than hers! Stay tuned for a future post!

Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee

Today, I want to share the story of a #plotdrivenlife experience that didn’t go as planned.

After reading Stacey Lee’s historical fiction novel, Outrun the Moon, which features diverse characters and foods,I was pumped to visit the St. Louis Festival of Nations for a chance to sample food from all over the world. I had the experience all planned out with notes from the book to remind me which country’s foods I needed to taste. Unfortunately, the weekend of the festival, we weren’t nearly as far along in our moving process as we needed to be, so we had to pack boxes instead of stuff our bellies! I sat on the book for several weeks before I came up with another #plotdrivenlife idea, and wallah!

But first, you need to meet this book!

Mercy Wong plans to own her own business guided by Mrs. Lowry’s, The Book for Business-Minded Women. Mercy’s goal is a sizable one as her circumstances do not favor her success. As a fifteen year-old Chinese-American who lives in San Francisco’s Chinatown neighborhood in 1906, Mercy deals with poverty and prejudice. Determined to make a better life for herself and her family, Mercy talks her way into the most prestigious girls’ school in San Francisco called St. Clare’s. Under the ruse that she is a wealthy Chinese heir, Mercy attempts to fit in with her wealthy socialite peers and absorb as much knowledge as possible. Mercy is regularly bullied by her roommate, Elodie, who knows her secret and threatens to expose her, and the school’s headmistress is suspicious of Mercy from the start.

Just as Mercy’s homesickness begins to subside, a devastating earthquake hits San Francisco, destroying St. Clare’s and causing fire to rip through her childhood neighborhood. Mercy must dig deep to channel her idol, Mrs. Lowry, in the face of terrible personal tragedy.

I love a strong, stubborn, determined female character like Mercy, and I especially loved her because of her selflessness. The author, Stacey Lee, obviously extensively researched 1906 San Francisco and used excellent detailed description to transport readers back in time. A fine book!

Balloons, Bonbons and Bacon

Outrun the Moon starts with a harrowing hot air balloon ride. In the opening chapter, readers meet Tom, Mercy’s love interest and a young man fascinated with flight and eager for the opportunity to pursue his passion and break free from family obligation. Mercy manages to accidentally fly off in Tom’s balloon, introducing readers to her unluckiness.

As I thought about alternate #plotdrivenlife experiences for this book, I decided to look for the opportunity to get up close and personal with a hot air balloon, something I have never done before. I was so lucky to find an upcoming “balloon glow” in small town New Haven, MO, about an hour’s drive from our house. On Friday night, Mike and I packed up Rudy and some lawn chairs, drove down plenty of stomach-churning country roads, and settled in to watch 11 grounded hot air balloons inflated next to each other light up the night. It was actually pretty magical. I loved the unexpectedness of not knowing when a balloon was going to light up, marked by a the loud and brilliant spray of fire being pumped into its belly. We sat close enough to feel the heat of the balloons being inflated, and it’s toasty!

While the balloon glow was a highlight, I was determined to explore some of the food Lee mentions in her book. I decided I would try three foods, each representative of a character’s culture. Mercy’s nemesis Elodie du Lac is the daughter of a French chocolatier, known for his expensive and decedent treats. Needing to do “important research,” I picked up a box of “Luxurious European Chocolate Truffles” from Aldi. I never purchase this kind of thing for myself because I have no willpower in the face of chocolate, so this was a true indulgence. I should read books about chocolate more often.

They tasted as good as they look!

Next, I cooked spaghetti alla gricia, Italian character Francesca’s signature dish. I had never heard of this recipe before, but it involved making pasta with bacon. How could I resist? In fact, the original recipe called for “pig jowl,” but I happily substituted it, and the result was delightful. Full disclosure: I am not a cook and completely burned the bacon during my first attempt to fry it. I could blame it on my new stove, but I know better.

Get in my belly!

Finally, I ordered from Amazon a Chinese treat Mercy and Tom share called “mui”– salted plums. I absolutely love plums, and I was so excited to try this treat, but it was so weird! I gave some samples to some students today, and their faces as they ate them were hilarious! Mui still have pits, so I think you’re supposed to suck on them like candy, but their flavor gets stranger and saltier over time, and there isn’t much meat to them. Maybe they’re an acquired taste?

Salted plums = food fail.

Because Mercy’s grand plan to attend St. Clare’s is upended by the earthquake, I guess it fits that my original #plotdrivenlife plan for this book didn’t work out either. My revised plan let me eat bacon AND chocolate, and the balloon glow was an added bonus.

Thanks for reading,

~Kelly

]]>https://www.plotdrivenlife.com/2017/09/29/balloonsbonbonsbacon/feed/1Love Letter to a Bookstorehttps://www.plotdrivenlife.com/2017/09/11/lovelettertoabookstore/
https://www.plotdrivenlife.com/2017/09/11/lovelettertoabookstore/#commentsMon, 11 Sep 2017 11:00:29 +0000https://www.plotdrivenlife.com/?p=251Read More Love Letter to a Bookstore]]>Unfortunately, I haven’t been living a very #plotdrivenlife lately. Mike and I bought a new house last month, and with the incredible support of my parents who flew in from Canada, we’ve been madly unpacking, cleaning and renovating the house to make it our own. We still have MANY projects to tackle, but we started by tearing down wallpaper and painting. Seriously, my parents are some of the most generous and hard-working folks I know.
My mom and me stripping wallpaper in our new kitchen!

Besides taking on a fixer-upper, school started back, of course, and I’m really missing the fact I could trot around on a horse in the middle of a Wednesday morning only a month ago! My hope is to continue to post new #plotdrivenlife experiences twice per month. This time, I want to share a book that inspired a love letter.

Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley

“Quaint” is the best word I can think of to describe this book. If you can listen to the audio version, it’s superb– read by alternating male and female Aussie narrators– and it adds to the book’s “quaintness.”

Readers first meet Rachel, still reeling from the drowning death of her brother Cal ten months prior. After failing her last year of high school, Rachel is lamenting the fact she’s being forced to move in with her unorthodox Aunt Rose who lives in the town Rachel grew up in. Rachel is especially bothered by the fact she’ll have to see Henry, her former best friend who ignored a love letter she left him three years ago.

Henry is devastated; his longtime girlfriend Amy has admitted she doesn’t love him, and he’s stuck with a round-the-world plane ticket he bought to accompany her. At the same time, Henry’s parents are toying with the idea of selling his childhood home/family business– a used bookshop called “Howling Books,” and it’s causing major family drama.

Rachel reluctantly accepts a tedious job at Howling Books; she’s responsible for cataloging the “Letter Library,” a unique part of the shop where visitors can write messages and leave letters in specific books. Slowly, Rachel and Henry begin to rebuild their friendship, but she still can’t find the strength to tell Henry that Cal is gone. When her old feelings for Henry start to resurface, will Amy get in the way again?

This book has so much going for it. It explores grief, friendship, forgiveness, love, and regret and the author balances all of these topics very well. As I read, I wanted to visit Howling Books which takes on a life of its on. The story is sweet and unique, and I loved the Australian dialect. So very good, and sure to be a winner with young adults.

A Love Letter to a Bookstore

As I read Cath Crowley’s book, I couldn’t help but think about the little used bookstore of my childhood called, The Book Bin.

Much like Howling Books takes on its own personality in Words in Deep Blue, The Book Bin has a distinctive personality to me; it’s a place I spent many cozy hours as a kid, usually with my younger sister, Jenn.

To celebrate The Book Bin and for this week’s #plotdrivenlife experience, I wrote a love letter/story to The Book Bin:

Dearest Book Bin,

Once upon a time, there were two young girls whose parents loved to read. They read together while sipping after-dinner coffee in the living room. They read side-by-side, propped up in bed each night, sometimes illuminated by a book-light. They read while they lounged under the shade of the camper awning on family vacations. They read a lot. Sometimes they shared books like those by John Grisham and Wilbur Smith. Other times the mom preferred romance and mystery and the dad liked action and adventure. Regardless of what they were reading, their daughters took notice, and they started to read a lot, too. Like their parents, they shared favorite books like those by Lurlene McDaniel and Ann M. Martin. Very soon, the girls were reading so much that the parents decided something must be done about it.

The parents introduced the girls to a magical place an easy walk from their house called The Book Bin. The Book Bin was a small shop filled to capacity with pre-loved books. When the family first visited together, the mom left a large stack of books on the counter, and Pat, the shop’s owner, traded her for a magical white slip of paper. With that slip of paper, the girls were allowed to choose books from the shop’s shelves and not have to pay for them. The girls thought this was amazing! Even better, the shop’s bright blue awning was easy to spot from school, and the sisters often walked to the shop on their way home, the magical white paper in one of their pockets, ready to show Pat.

The girls could lose track of time in the back of the shop where they sifted through books by Dahl, Stine, Montgomery and Pascal. They were delighted by the fact that Pat’s Cocker Spaniel often slept contentedly in her bed underneath the cash register, and they were wowed by the idea that Pat spent her whole day surrounded by books, making magical transactions happen for all kinds of people. After the girls had made their choices and showed Pat their ticket, they marched home, excited to delve into their newest literary adventures.

As the girls grew into ladies, they continued to visit The Book Bin, though less often. They stopped by every so often to pick up Mary Higgins Clark and LaVryle Spencer, following in their mother’s fiction footsteps. Soon, though, both girls had moved out of their parents’ house and lived in far away cities. One of the girls parlayed her love of books into a job as an English teacher and then a school librarian. The other works in a fancy office, but continues to read voraciously.

Now women in their thirties, the sisters have very fond memories of The Book Bin, the little shop that fed their childhood hunger for reading. When they are able to come to town, they try to make a point of stopping by the shop just to smell the book-y scent, run their fingers along the cracked spines and pet the newer resident pup. The shop’s awning is no longer blue, and the sisters no longer have a magical slip of paper, but just stepping into the shop can transport them back to their happy, book-filled childhood.

We love you, Book Bin!

Sincerely,The Sisters

~Kelly Oliva & Jennifer McLaren

I’m sending Book Bin owner Pat a copy of this letter, and I hope it brings a smile to her face.

I’m definitely planning a visit to the shop when I return to my hometown this Christmas. It’s been too long.

Happy reading,
~Kelly

PS: A huge thanks to my dad who (sneakily) took all of the photos included in this post.

This Alice in Wonderland spin-off is set in the peaceful, magical land of Hearts which is ruled by a buffoon-of-a-king who has his eyes on the regal Lady Catherine Pinkerton. “Cath” is the daughter of wealthy land owners who fall over themselves in an attempt to put their daughter on the throne. Cath isn’t interested in becoming a queen, however; instead, she wants to start her own bakery with her best friend and maid, Mary Anne. When Cath meets the king’s newest court jester, appropriately named Jest, their attraction is magnetic, and she is immediately swept up by his charm and mystique. Unbeknownst to Cath, Jest is on a mission from Chess, sent to steal the heart of a queen to save his homeland from the grips of war. To further complicate matters, a murderous jabberwock is terrorizing Hearts, its origins a mystery. Cath learns that once her fate is written in ink, she is powerless to stop it.

This book kept me guessing until the end. In fact, its conclusion was so unexpected to me that I checked to see if it was part of a series! It’s not, by the way. . . I loved Meyer’s cast of characters, many borrowed from Lewis Caroll’s book including the Cheshire Cat, the smoking caterpillar and the Mad “Hatta.” This is memorable, high fantasy fun, and I look forward to the release of Meyer’s new novel, Renegades on November 7 and her upcoming visit to the Spencer Road branch of the St. Charles City-County Public Library to promote it. Click here for event details. It’s free to attend!

A Fascinating Afternoon

Like Lewis Carroll’s, Alice in Wonderland, Marissa Meyer’s Heartless includes a quirky and memorable tea party. In Heartless, the party is hosted by the Mad Hatta who is known for his unusual and magical hats. These hats play a crucial role in the action of the story. As soon as I read the tea party scene, I knew that it would be the inspiration for this week’s #plotdrivenlife experience. One of my favorite special things to do with several of my girlfriends is to get dressed up and enjoy high tea together. My friend Katie met Jane Muscroft, also known as “The Scone Lady” at a cooking class once upon a time, and learned that Jane, a Brit, also served high tea once a month in a rented space in St. Louis. So, my friends made it a tradition to get together for tea a few times a year, and we once drove to St. Louis in an ice storm, determined to keep our reservation! Recently, Jane opened her own cafe in Edwardsville, Illinois, called Queen’s Cuisine, and she continues to serve high tea on one Sunday each month. Checking our calendars, Katie, our friend Kris and I made plans to drive an hour to enjoy Jane’s delicious sandwiches, scones desserts and tea.

This was to be no typical tea party, however. We had to have hats! I have always loved the elegant and sometimes ridiculous nature of a fascinator hat, often worn by English royalty at fancy events, and I’ve wanted to make my own for years. I dug around on Pinterest for an evening and found two separate DIY tutorials for fascinators and decided I’d combine them. Click here and here for the tutorials.

With a vision of the final product, I took a field trip to Hobby Lobby to purchase supplies. An hour later, I was heating up my new glue gun, feeling like a giddy contestant on Project Runway.

My Hobby Lobby haul!I used a piece of black felt as the base of the fascinator and cut holes in it to thread it through a simple plastic headband.To create the finished product, I hot-glued tulle, a feather and a large flower onto the felt base.

The hats are pretty tame, but I’m proud of how they turned out, and I think Kris and Katie looked beautiful in them.

Fascinating!

At Queen’s Cuisine, we filled our bellies with divine treats and just enjoyed each other’s company. High tea is a rare splurge for us which is why we packed Tupperware so we could take home the leftovers!

Avery VanDemere should want for nothing as she’s the granddaughter of a wealthy business owner with a million-dollar estate. However, Avery can’t wait until she’s eighteen and can run away from the strict household her grandmother runs. Mrs. VanDemere is practically obsessed with her family history and refuses to allow Avery to do simple teenage things like get a driver’s license or invite friends to the house. Avery was born as the result of an affair between her father and the family nanny, and her snobbish relatives refuse to let her forget it. Because her father is a drunk and her mother is deceased, Avery bides her time under her grandmother’s thumb.

Avery’s grandmother surprises her and her relatives, however, when she brings the family together at the estate and remotely invites them to participate in an Amazing Race style competition to determine the sole heir of the family business. Mrs. VanDemere sends Avery and her greedy family traipsing across the globe to compete in challenges that relate to their family history. Avery teams up with young Riley Tate, son of the her family’s attorney, and is determined to win the competition to earn financial freedom. Along the way, however, Avery learns a horrible secret about her past that makes her question the value of winning at her grandmother’s game.

Down the Rabbit Hole

While reading Inherit Midnight, I began to question my own family history, a topic I didn’t know much about. I remembered that my mom’s mother, my grandma, had descended from Lithuania and that her husband, my grandpa, had relatives from England. My dad, however, is adopted, and I knew nothing about his biological family heritage. I decided to tackle this #plotdrivenlife experience in a couple of different ways:

First, I purchased an Ancestry DNA kit from Amazon. This was a pricey purchase at $99, but I was excited about the possibility of learning about my dad’s family history by testing my own DNA. When the kit arrived, I spat a disgusting amount of saliva into the tube and mailed it off for analysis. This was definitely the weirdest thing I’ve sent in the mail!

That’s my spittle, ready for the postman.

I waited about four weeks for my results to come back, and I know my dad was just as excited as I was to know about his ancestors. Interestingly, the results throw some of my mom’s known family history into question. While my relatives were definitely from Europe, the results show that I am only 9% British. Overwhelmingly, my DNA suggested I descend from Ireland. While it’s possible my dad is of Irish heritage, it’s also possible my mom’s family had Irish blood, too, for me to be 34% Irish. Regardless, it was so cool to learn about my ancestors, and I think my results will encourage my dad to test his DNA, too, so he can have more definitive information about his biological family.

Second, I asked my mom for a copy of a family tree created by a relative on my grandpa’s side of the family. I had never seen this family tree, and I definitely got goosebumps when I saw it because it tracks my family back to 1785! While the paper copy of the family tree blew me away, it was when I started building a digital tree on Ancestry DNA’s website that I felt like a kid on Christmas morning. As I added family members, the website connected me to other existing family trees in their database where I could review information about possible relatives and decide if I wanted to add the people or details to my own tree. I opted to access this information for two weeks during my free trial, and I’ll have to decide if I want to pay to continue to subscribe to this service. Right now, I’m still in the process of adding all of my known relatives, and Ancestry DNA has found 99 possible connections to other trees! I feel like I have fallen down the rabbit hole. I can absolutely understand how researching one’s family tree can be a lifelong project. I’m now determined to sit down with my living relatives and add as much information as possible to our tree. It’s a powerful experience.

Had I not read Kate Kae Myers’ novel, I’m sure I wouldn’t have tested my DNA or reached out for a copy of my family tree. This project has been eye-opening and humbling. I realize I am one piece of a large family puzzle, and it’s exciting to think I have the opportunity to connect with previously unknown family members online through shared family histories. I’m excited to see where this #plotdrivenlife experience has yet to take me. I wonder if it’s too much to hope that I’ll connect with some of my dad’s family. . .

This week, I challenge you to search out your own family tree and consider adding to it or creating one if it doesn’t exist. If you are a high school student, please consider marking your calendar to participate in this year’s The Great Thanksgiving Listen, an annual project sponsored by StoryCorps. The project is designed to encourage the recording of oral family histories which are then stored in the Library of Congress for posterity. Can you imagine if your descendant was able to listen to your recorded interview of a family member hundreds of years in the future? It gives me chills just to think about it!

Thanks for reading,

~Kelly

]]>https://www.plotdrivenlife.com/2017/08/14/familyties/feed/1A Bloody Good Readhttps://www.plotdrivenlife.com/2017/08/07/a-bloody-good-read/
https://www.plotdrivenlife.com/2017/08/07/a-bloody-good-read/#commentsMon, 07 Aug 2017 13:00:42 +0000https://www.plotdrivenlife.com/?p=197Read More A Bloody Good Read]]>When the worlds of Jack the Ripper and the Elephant Man collide, there’s no shortage of gore, ghosts and . . . good deeds?

A Taste for Monsters by Matthew J. Kirby

In 1888 London, Evelyn Fallow has seen her fair share of hardship. Orphaned and badly facially disfigured from her work in a match factory with poisonous phosphorus, the seventeen year-old approaches the matron at London Hospital for a job as a nurse. While the matron refuses her request, she offers Evelyn the job of maid for the hospital’s most unusual patient, Joseph Merrick, a man who is terribly deformed and commonly known as the “Elephant Man.” Desperate to get off of London’s tough and unforgiving streets, Evelyn accepts and gradually begins to befriend her benevolent charge.

Drawing of woman with “phossy jaw,” a condition common to women working with white phosphorus in a match factory in the 19th century.Joseph Merrick, also known as the “Elephant Man.”

It is because of Mr. Merrick’s kindness that Evelyn believes ghosts begin to appear to him at night, desperate to take advantage of his tender heart. These aren’t just any ghosts, however. They are the ghosts of the victims of “Leather Apron,” also known as “Jack the Ripper.” These five spirits, Whitechapel prostitutes in life, are deeply haunted by unfinished business, and appear in Mr. Merrick’s room each night at precisely the time their lives were taken. The stress of the repeated and horrifying visits take a toll on the Elephant Man’s life, and Evelyn forces herself to return to London’s dangerous streets to help put the ghosts’ souls to rest.

Part historical fiction, part paranormal thriller, A Taste for Monsters is dark, suspenseful, and divine! Evelyn is a daring and tortured main character, and Mr. Merrick is especially memorable for his charity regardless of his limitations. Matthew J. Kirby has an interesting take on the identity of Jack the Ripper, too. This book is so worth the read and a great choice for anyone who enjoyed the 2017-18 Gateway Nominee, A Madness So Discreet.

Budding Ripperologists

I was only a few chapters into this book when I knew I wanted to host a Jack the Ripper documentary movie marathon as a #plotdrivenlife experience. I posted a “Who wants to join me?” message on Facebook, and I couldn’t believe how many of my friends were interested in Jack the Ripper!

So, this past Saturday, seven of us “Ripper Enthusiasts” met at my house to enjoy some treats and watch three documentaries with very different theories on Jack the Ripper’s identity. The first, a National Geographic production borrowed from the public library called Finding Jack the Ripper suggests the killer was a German sailor who was caught after a murder in New York City. While none of us bought this theory, this film includes digital autopsies of the Ripper’s victims to help viewers understand the magnitude of the victims’ injuries as well as how the killer’s violence escalated.

What is a Jack the Ripper party without a creepy mannequin, cupcakes with bloody bone sprinkles and blood-spattered decorations?

The second film, available through Netflix, was entitled, Jack the Ripper: Prime Suspect. It tries to prove that Frederick Bailey Deeming who murdered two of his wives and four of his children was also responsible for the Ripper murders. Deeming was in London during the time of the murders, had motive to kill prostitutes and shared killing rituals with the Ripper. It’s difficult to believe Deeming is Jack the Ripper because he lacked the skills that seem necessary to remove organs swiftly and precisely. Still, he is a strong suspect.

Wearing our top hats for the occasion. Clockwise: Mike and me, Shannon and me, Missy, Mernie and Brooke, and Shawn.

Finally, we watched Unmasking Jack the Ripper on YouTube, and I think we all liked this one best. The film provides detailed information about the living conditions in Whitechapel during the late 1800s, explaining why so many women were driven into prostitution. While the film doesn’t strive to convince viewers of the killer’s identity, it does make a strong case that Aaron Kosminski, a Polish barber, was Jack the Ripper. The film suggests a witness identified Kosminski and that two of the lead murder investigators believed him to be guilty of the heinous crimes. I’m not ruling him out!

There are other documentaries on my list to watch as there seems to be plenty of theories about Jack the Ripper’s identity. I’m especially interested in a series called American Ripper which suggests H.H. Holmes, the notorious killer featured in Erik Larson’s nonfiction book, The Devil in the White City, is Jack the Ripper. Thanks for the series recommendation, Shawn and Shannon!

By watching these documentaries which often include graphic images, I was able to better imagine the ghosts of the murdered women Matthew J. Kirby animates in A Taste for Monsters. These spirits haunt Evelyn and Joseph with their grisly wounds on full display, and I now fully understand why the ghosts’ presence was so agonizing for Joseph and alarming for Evelyn. This #plotdrivenlife experience enhanced my reading of Kirby’s book and made for an entertaining evening with friends!

Do you have a different Jack the Ripper theory? Please share in the comments.